Spring Inspiration: Dried Thyme Herb Bouquet

Loosely inspired by this post via Pinterest.

Spring has got me inspired...replanted my wildly overgrown outdoor thyme plant into a larger pot and everything.  In anticipation of the plant woes that accompany its acclimation into a new home, I decided to stem off and collect the most healthy bits of thyme.  Bit by bit, I cut.  Soon enough, there was a tiny handful of the deliciously fragrant herb--just enough for a mini bouquet.  I then took the plant cuttings indoors, where I gently rinsed them off to detach aphids and other bugs, tied the stems together with twine, and hung them upside down from a doorknob.  In a few weeks time, I'm considering sticking this dried herb bouquet into a small bud vase to commemorate the season.  Spring has never smelled so good, like freshly picked culinary herbs.

For the Naturalist

Pendant: my own creation
Bottle: vitrifiedstudio

Decided to create a pendant for a loved one from our Thumbelina Leigh Lavender plant.  Picked a worthy bud off the stem, carefully placed it between the pages of a notebook, and stacked two books on top to make sure the bud was indeed pressed.  There the bit o' plant was left for nearly two months.  Took the plant out, added raw brass findings and a non-toxic, resin-like material to the mix and out came the above piece.  Not waterproof, but nevertheless beautiful and quite gift-able.

Apart from the placement of the pressed lavender, the most difficult part of this project is how to "cure" the faux-resin used--it requires either direct sunlight or UV light to cure.  Because wintertime sunlight is not strong enough to "set" the resin-like surface (I tried it), the pendant is currently setting by sitting directly under a fluorescent light bulb.  Still, the price one pays for non-toxic, scentless resin is well worth the wait.

If you have the time and energy, this is a delightfully fun springtime activity--I can only imagine how lovely a pendant would look with spring flowers as the focal point!

Jersey Weave Sweatshirt

Earlier this month, I attempted to create a jersey-weave sweatshirt from a DIY/tutorial by the talented Sophie at The Forge.  I spent days staring at Sophie's creation, looking at it from all angles to analyze the intricacies of her work, particularly the perfectly curved, checkerboard-style lines in the front of the sweatshirt (which the jersey shirt is woven through, hence the name).  Sophie's secret weapon: a fabric marker.

My secret weapon: the inability to follow directions--and as a consequence, reinterpreting them...

Without a fabric marker, I free-handed my sweatshirt lines with my trusty box cutter (thanks, husband).  Roughly two days later, with half the t-shirt cut up and woven through the sweatshirt, I was finally done.

Thoughts on my course of action:
The lines ended up looking slightly off-kilter, organically curving across the front of the sweatshirt.  (Note to self: you can't see the cuts you make in dark-colored fabric.)  I also did not cut out the collar of the sweatshirt, which detracted (I think) from the "slightly trendy/cozy" appeal of the initial design.  My chosen color combination was also reminiscent of holiday sweaters; the front of the sweatshirt was slightly heavy due to the weaving of fabric.

An issue I had:
The sweatshirt fabric tears slightly if you pull on it after lines are cut, so I am unsure of how Sophie was able to have the lines so close to one another without accidentally making two of her cuts (in separate, one-on-top-of-the-other lines) rip into one.  Also, don't pull too hard on the jersey fabric because the front of the sweatshirt bunches up, leaving the piece looking ruched/ruffled.

However, my result is a very unique sweatshirt.  I can see why Sophie cut out the collar and part of the sleeves--she has a great eye for matching details.  I, on the other hand, don't care so much for matching, so my creation is perfect for me. 

Ready for a comparison?

Note: the sweatshirt looks better on a model than hanging from a hanger on the door.

The Forge's sweatshirt:

Which was inspired by the now non-existent site pups-paris.com design:

My end product:

Yes, I would recommend this project for a Christmas gift if you have the time and patience to work slowly (especially with the cutting and fabric weaving), and if you can be gentle with the fabric.


Feel free to leave a comment!